Your final step is to report your findings. Refer to the PRISMA checklists when writing your manuscript to ensure that it meets the minimum reporting requirements. Reproducibility is key is a key feature of a high quality systematic review. If you have questions about how to make your search methodology reproducible, please contact a librarian.
A systematic review uses a structured and reproducible method to identify, assess and critically appraise all relevant studies in response to a specific research query. Here are some tips for making sure your search is reproducible:
The search strategies documentation template can be used to help in your reporting of your search methods
Data Management is an important aspect for evidence syntheses. Without proper data management your search will not be reproducible and therefore devaluing your research. Your search strategy and results gathered from it are data, so consider submitting it to a repository. Learn more about the importance of Data Management below.
searchRxiv (pronounced “search archive”) has been established to support researchers to report, store and share their searches consistently and to enable them to review and re-use existing searches.
searchRxiv enables researchers to:
If you used any of the tools and resources that you found via the UK Libraries or this guide, you will need to cite them in your manuscript. Below are some examples of commonly used sources.
Table of Database Vendors and Coverages
Polyglot Search Translator
SR Accelerator
PRISMA
PRISMA-P
PRISMA-S
Systematic and scoping reviews are time intensive and require expert level assistance to complete. If a librarian assisted you with the search process, advised on tools and resources, or met with your team several times an acknowledgement in the final publication is appreciated. Below are some examples of acknowledgements: